All posts tagged Smashwords

And to celebrate, this aptly-titled yuletide thriller is FREE, yes, I said FREE on iTunes and Smashwords.

From SAFFINA DESFORGES, international best-selling author of Sugar & Spice, Anca’s Story and the Rose Red crime thriller series (Snow White, Rapunzel), comes ROSE RED RHYMES, a collection of crime thriller short stories featuring the Rose Red cast, based on traditional nursery rhymes. But be warned. These are NOT for children! Christmas comes but once a year, and no-one is more thankful than DCI Cass “Red” Rose. With no major cases on her desk on Christmas Eve morning it seems Red can finish her shift and go Christmas shopping like any normal person. But life is never straight-forward where Red is concerned. And when a police officer from her own station, dressed as Santa, has to be arrested in the toy store where Red is due to meet Grandma and Ruby, it seems to Red like she’s never off duty. And that’s before the drunks on the next floor start smashing the place up. Then there’s the small matter of staying up to welcome Santa’s little helpers. Fortunately she has some little elves of her own to lend a hand.

A cool collection of shorts from Tracy Marchini, Anne R Allen, Miriam Joy, Peter Salisbury, Misti Wolanski, Michael Yarwood, Debbie Bennett, Katrina Parker Williams, Pam Howes and of course, us! Er, actually, nope! We haven’t got a story in this one, but watch out for Vol 2, where “Grime & punishment’ will be making an appearance!

Sugar & Spice has been riding high this week on Amazon UK and received more excellent feedback.

It now sits at #4 in the thriller chart. All that stands between it and that coveted #1 spot are 3 books by a certain Mr. Stephen Leather. With an evil grin and a maniacal chuckle, I warned Stephen on Facebook the that we were on his tail. MWUHAHA. ;-)

Seriously though folks, a BIG shout out to everyone who has bought it and commented!

It is in the Top 20 in Kindle Paid Store and guess who else stands in the way of THAT #1 slot? ;-)

This book was frightening to say the least + full of mind provoking facts- had to leave it though at several stages as I became too scared to read on!! Came back- as curiosity took the better of me. Found I was holding my breath too as many awful situations occurred, heart pounding and even “talked” and shouted at my Kindle. Not for the feint hearted. OH BOY.

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, realistic read. Could not put it down., 21 Feb 2011

Found this via Kindle store and downloaded it as it was a cheaper read and I’m so glad I found this author and book. It is just amazing.

The detail and research that have gone into it are outstanding. This makes it a fast, impossible to put down read – up with the likes of Peter James.

However, a word of warning – it is graphic in its detail and its insight into the mind of a paedophile in the character of Greg Randall. This makes it chilling but also makes it believable and realistic, if not also uncomfortable reading in places.

I will certainly look for more by this author in the same genre and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a well written british crime thriller.

Now and then you come across a book that take a tired old concept – in this case a serial killer stalking little kids – and turns it on its head, to produce something truly original.

Not since The Silence Of The Lambs has anything in the crime thriller genre come close to warranting the term ground-breaking.

Until now.

Sugar & Spice takes us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, at once appalling yet mesmerising in its subject matter. It takes apart the mind of the paedophile and reassembles it in three different characters, only one of which is the killer.

And therein lies the true depth and beauty of this novel.

For while the mother of a murdered child seeks, and eventually succeeds, in bringing the killer to justice, two innocent men pay the price along the way.

Only, neither are innocent. So why do we feel for them? Care about them? Dare I say, trust them?

If you want gory detail of post-mortems, stick with Scarpetta. If it’s plodding police detectives, Morse is your man. If you like the mystery to be solved with high-tech forensics, go back to CSI:Miami. This is unlike anything else out there.

And written in a unique style that just drags you through the pages by your hair, defying you to take a break. And on those odd moments when you dare put it down you are left with questions you wish you hadn’t been asked, that taunt you, compelling you to read on.

I understand this is a first novel from this author. Let’s hope it’s not a one-shot wonder and there’s plenty more to come!